42 hospitals sealed in Surat for ignoring fire safety norms

Surat City Fire Department has temporarily shut down 42 hospitals for not having fire extinguishing systems.

Surat: As many as 42 hospitals have been shut down in Gujarat's Surat by the Surat City Fire Department for not having a fire extinguishing system in violation of the fire safety norms in the State. The hospitals were temporarily shut down after the fire department carried out random inspections in the ICU wards of 62 hospitals in the city on Tuesday.

Fire Officer in charge D H Makhijani said that a PIL was filed in Gujarat High Court during the Covid-19 pandemic stating that all hospitals should have a fire extinguishing system. He also said that at that time many hospitals did not install sprinkler systems in their ICU wards.

Makhijani said that these hospitals gave an affidavit stating that they would install, the system in their ICU wards after Covid-19 cases subside. Makhijani said despite being served two to three notices by the fire department, these hospitals did not install the sprinkler systems in their ICU wards to date.